The Portsmouth Police Department is asking for the publicís assistance in solving two crimes that occurred on July 4th.

The first crime was a burglary that occurred at approximately 3:00 AM at the Portsmouth Middle School located at Parrot Avenue. Suspects entered the school via a window. Patrol officers interrupted the burglary, and the suspects fled the area. One of the suspects is described as a white male with a thin build, wearing a baseball cap and dark clothing.

The second crime is an arson that occurred at approximately 12:40 PM at the former Frank Jones School located at Corporate Drive. The building is currently vacant. A suspect or suspects lit a fire to pallets of plastic materials located directly behind the building. The Portsmouth Fire Department responded and the fire was extinguished before there was a significant loss of property.

Detectives from the Bureau of Investigative Services responded to process both crime scenes where evidence was collected.

Anyone with any information on either of these crimes is asked to call the Bureau of Investigative Services at 436-2511, or they can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 431-1199.